Olive Oil

DEAR TOM AND RAY: We had a big snowstorm this week. Not wanting to scrape the ice off my windshield, the night before the storm I looked around for something to put under my wipers to keep the ice off. Unable to come up with anything, I contemplated alternatives. Then it came to me: Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil! I smeared some Filippo Berio on the windshield and waited for the snow. The next morning, the snow slid off the windshield like a greasy zeppole. Great, I thought.

As soon as winter has ended its freeze, a welcome sight springs up each year around the Middle Peninsula. A ubiquitous weekend staple in the warmer months of the year, farmers markets have become synonymous with keeping growers busy and their customers satisfied. "April, May and June are real good months," said Martha Frazier of Ware Neck Produce in Gloucester. A farmers market consists of individual vendors — mostly farmers — who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits, flowers and sometimes prepared foods and beverages.

There's no chance olive oil, the king of cooking oils, will be toppled from its throne. Since the first civilizations emerged 5,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, the earliest documented cooking oil has been valued for its taste and versatility. The Roman Empire did much to boost its popularity, spreading the cultivation of olive trees and the production of oil with their conquests throughout the Mediterranean region. To this day, the pressings from the fruit remain a staple of the Mediterranean diet.

Contraceptives are part of a woman's basic health care and have been for far longer than manmade laws have allowed. But that basic right is under increasing attack by moralizing politicians and pundits who seem bound to re-stigmatize birth control devices and even banish them from every medicine cabinet in America. Republican Del. Bob Marshall, a faith-based radical in Prince William County, opposes all forms of contraceptives that act after conception. So he drafted the odious "personhood" bill to impose rights of citizenship upon every fertilized human egg, jeopardizing popular contraceptives like IUDs and the Pill.

For all you habitual eaters of food - and I know there's some of you out there, we have our ways at the newspaper of finding these things out - here's some comforting news: I think the food police are running out of suspects to arrest. At least this was my reaction to last week's report, the latest from the Center for Science That Will Destroy Your Will to Live, about eating breakfast. This is the outfit, you will recall, that periodically turns up to warn us we shouldn't eat delicatessen food, movie-house popcorn, Mexican food, Chinese food, Italian food, Nepalese food, Aztec food, fast food, slow food, soul food, red meat, brown meat, mincemeat, Pez, your fingernails, mom's apple pie, shoo-fly pie, humble pie, anything that might have come into contact with the random molecules drifting off of a dessert cart, and who knows what all. Last week, you'll recall, these folks struck again with the information that a popular restaurant breakfast of two eggs, two sausages, two strips of bacon and two pancakes contains more fat than Rush Limbaugh, even if you simply poach him. Well, excuse me, but - is it supposed to be news, at this point, that a mess of sausage and bacon is a more fat-intensive breakfast then a hearty bowl of Bran 'N' Twigs with skim milk?

Q: I would like the recipe for Ruby Tuesday's potato salad. It's great! - Gloria Snavely, Williamsburg A: "There's no great secret," says a Ruby Tuesday Restaurant employee. But just in case, we were requested to keep the employee's name and store location a secret. Here's the ingredients and general instructions. You'll have to figure out measurements yourself. (Restaurant cooks mix the mayo-based potato salad in 21-pound batches.) With this simple salad, it shouldn't be difficult to figure out a tasty ratio.

A lot has been written recently about the power of antioxidants to fight disease. Now the California Table Grape Commission has found a way to combine the antioxidants found in green grapes with those found in green tea to make an unusual jade-colored smoothie. To make one glass, simply puree 1 cup of green grapes, 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup diced pineapple, 1/2 cup ice cubes and 2 teaspoons sweetened green tea powder. If green tea powder is unavailable, substitute 1/2 cup brewed and cooled green tea sweetened with 1 teaspoon sugar.

Because this sandwich depends on the quality of ingredients, I only make it in September when tomatoes are at their best. Matched with perfectly ripened avocados, bread from the best bakery and a favorite brand of extra-virgin olive oil, this is almost worth the yearlong wait for peak-season tomatoes. MENU: September sandwich Champagne grapes Butter cookies Raspberry iced tea TIPS: It's worth the trouble to shop for a loaf of chewy, multi-grain bread at your favorite bakery.

By David Nicholson, dnicholson@dailypress.com | 247-4794 | August 26, 2011

Preparing food during a hurricane — or in the days following when the power is out — can be a daunting task. But some preliminary steps can ease some of the concerns. Cook-free recipes are often the way to go. And following the last storm, the backyard grill was a lifesaver when the kitchen was without power. Here are a few tips, and some simple recipes, to get you through Irene. —Stock up on fresh fruits, canned chicken and tuna, soups and chilis, chunky pasta sauces and salsas, potatoes and beans in cans, milk and cheese.

Mike Anderson not only weighs 35 pounds lighter now, but he also has lightened his daily intake of pills. Mike, 69, of York County, says losing weight has enabled him to stop taking prescription medications for blood pressure and cholesterol and to prevent the onset of diabetes. "I feel much better in shape," he says. "I just want to keep him around for as long as I can," adds his wife, Marcia Anderson, 60. "I'm good for changing light bulbs," her husband quips. Motivation Mike served 10 years as an active-duty Marine and then joined the Army reserves to finish off 20 years of service.

By David Nicholson, dnicholson@dailypress.com | 247-4794 | April 22, 2011

Raising the small blue cup, Don Harris swirls the green-gold liquid inside, smells its contents and takes a sip. Smooth with a peppery finish, he pronounces to the 14 foodies gathered for one of La Tienda's olive oil tasting classes. Each participant follows his lead and describes in their own words what they smell and taste. Like wines that reflect the characteristics of different varietals, Spanish olive oils reflect the individual qualities of the many varieties of olives found there.

When Brooke Szczepanski isn't reading or traveling, she's in the kitchen, cooking up winning recipes like grilled fish fillets with a Spanish twist. The 28-year-old Gloucester resident — and her grilled fillet with chickpea mash — was recently cited as a finalist in Gorton's Recipe Renovation contest where home-based cooks nationwide were invited to submit recipes that used the company's grilled products in a new way. In the end, 31 finalists were selected; Brooke's second-place prize was a dozen coupons for free Gorton items.

DEAR TOM AND RAY: We had a big snowstorm this week. Not wanting to scrape the ice off my windshield, the night before the storm I looked around for something to put under my wipers to keep the ice off. Unable to come up with anything, I contemplated alternatives. Then it came to me: Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil! I smeared some Filippo Berio on the windshield and waited for the snow. The next morning, the snow slid off the windshield like a greasy zeppole. Great, I thought.

This simple pasta dish became the culinary highlight of a recent summer vacation in the Umbria region of Italy. Made with the regional pork sausage and the area's famed black truffles, it can be found in most of the fine restaurants in hill towns such as Todi, Assisi and Perugia. The sausage is not available here, but a good approximation of the mild links can be created with ground pork and sweet Italian sausage. Fresh truffles also are hard to find and too expensive to think about.

Take a tip from the Italians, who like to serve arugula in salads, on top of pizza or under grilled or sauteed meat. The slightly bitter greens make a great contrast to rich foods. Baby arugula has a less bitter flavor and more tender leaves. We've teamed the greens with sliced strip steak for an easy summer dinner salad. Lemon, mustard and olive oil flavor the greens and a topping of pecorino cheese, a hard sheep's milk cheese, finishes the dish. This is a dish with endless variations.

Last week, the Daily Press awarded prizes to the Top three locally submitted hamburger recipes. The reader response was great, and there were a number of you who asked for the oyster burger recipe briefly mentioned in the article. Here it is: OLE' BUDDY'S BURGER The recipe was submitted by Van Kennedy of Hampton. He says "Don't be stingy with the mayonnaise." 1 side of a hamburger bun 1/4 pound ground beef 1 medium oyster Old Bay seasoning 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons mayonnaise Lemon juice, to taste Smear the bun with margarine and grill until toasted.